Image above: The NEEMO 10 crewmembers and support team return to the surface as the tenth NEEMO project draws to a close. Image credit: NASA

Friday, July 28, 2006
Mission Day 7
Topside Report

Today the NEEMO 10 mission ended successfully with "splashup" at about 9:48 a.m. EDT. It was a bouncy, windy day on the reef, but all of the aquanauts are doing well and are happy to be back in the fresh air and sunshine. They will be engaged in post mission interviews, physicals, and other activities the rest of the day, and tonight we will celebrate the outstanding success of this mission at the traditional "splashup party."

We want to take this opportunity to thank our hosts here at the National Undersea Research Center (NURC). Their professionalism and commitment to safety is second to none. They take great care of the nation's only undersea research facility, they keep a close eye on our crewmembers and they take great care of our Topside team and visitors. So to the habitat technicians, Mark Hulsbeck and Dominic Landucci - a hearty "thank you" for teaching our crewmembers how to live as aquanauts. To Roger Garcia - a sincere thanks for the great dive equipment training you gave them. To Craig Cooper and Jim Buckley - thanks for managing this mission and all NEEMO missions so professionally. And for the rest of the Aquarius staff who potted daily, manned the watch desk 24/7, and did it all with a smile, we can't thank you enough. Finally, special and sincere thanks to NURC Associate Director Otto Rutten for being our host and boat captain for the last two weeks. It wouldn't have been possible without you all.

We can't properly thank everyone who had a hand in making this mission successful, but a few key entities should be noted:

The Constellation Program, for the funding that paid for NEEMO 10;
The ExPOC team, for your preparation, long hours, and tireless perseverance;
JSC's Mission Ops Directorate, for the majority of the manpower that keeps this project alive year by year, as well as your unflagging support;
JSC's Flight Crew Ops Directorate, for the manpower, support, and part of the crew;
Dr. Mike Gernhardt, Kevin Rullman, and Jennifer Jadwick for the preparatory work on so many of the exploration objectives we accomplished;
Previous NEEMO crews who helped pave the way; and
The families and friends of all of us who've been away so long making this mission a success. We appreciate your sacrifices!

Stay tuned for NEEMO 11, a seven-day mission focused again on lunar exploration concepts. It is scheduled for September 2006.

Thanks for your support and following along!

-- NEEMO 10 Topside Team

NEEMO 10 Mission Journal Number 6"A 'tag-up' with the International Space Station astronauts was the highlight of the day. "+ Read More

NEEMO 10 Mission Journal Number 5"Last night was a time for new life on the reef, as clouds of plankton, brine shrimp and fish eggs rained down in front of the viewports all evening."+ Read More

NEEMO 10 Mission Journal Number 4"The aquanauts experienced a heavy workload during the exercise, feeling like a cross between Godzilla and a professional linebacker."+ Read More

NEEMO 10 Mission Journal Number 3"Drew and K2 took advantage of some timelined hookah dive time to find out which fish visit the Aquarius at night."+ Read More